Thawed Casket
by Nemo-Beatrice
Summary: A Bosmer and his brother get captured. His brother escapes, but Alexander is not so lucky. Just when the Imperials would win the war, Alduin appears out of nowhere and attacks. Most of the people escape. Alex travels to Riverwood then to Whiterun. On his way, he meets a troubled woman who calls herself Matilda. The Dunmer was looking for protection from the assassination attempts.
1. Prologue

**WARNING:** Incest.

* * *

Two Bosmer brothers held each other's hand together following the path. Alexander was not sure where they were going, but like a good puppet, he followed. The breeze made him shiver. Since he had no shirt on, he hugged his older brother. Warmth radiated from him. The older stroked his arms.

"When can we stop? I'm so cold, brother," Alex whined.

"We need to keep moving. We already have been slowed down," he answered.

While walking, a man with a horse was passing though until his ride was shot down by an arrow. All of them panicked. Turns out they were right in the middle of an ambush. Alexander's brother immediately let go of his hands. One of the Nords jumped out of nowhere with a heavy war axe in his hand and attempt to attack the younger one. Quickly, he dodged the attack but ran away. He tried looking for his brother, but he was nowhere to be seen. He could hear his brother shouting his name. He could not just leave him behind. He went back inside the fight, attempting to find him. With no weapon, he tried to avoid the people who were looking for a fight. Alex found himself once again away from the fight. He managed to find his older brother but was blasted by fire spell. It kept him warm but had left some burns on his skin. He looked at the person who shot the fireball. Alex was seeing doubles of everything. There was an Altmer woman with green eyes and was hooded. She got closer to him and knocked him out unconscious.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm going to hide now. This just appeared out of my head... for like a long time.


	2. Chapter 1: The Road

**A/N: **I forgot what I was going to say. I think I made a mistake or something.

* * *

Alexander's eyes were closed, though he could feel that he was moving. He was less cold, but still freezing. Something was keeping him warm. There was a bump on the road, causing the Wood Elf to awaken. He looked down at his arms that were bound together. He wore a shirt, but they were ragged. Alex looked at the people around him. There were three people: a blond man, a dirty man, and one whose mouth was covered. His brother was not with him. He was alone. The Bosmer then had his head down, thinking of what to do next.

"I see that you are finally awake!" said a blond Nord. Alex brought his head up to pay attention. He did not know him and did not care to know him. He sunk back a little in his seat, staring at the trees that went past by them. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that ambush. So did us and that thief over there."

They started to argue. Alex did not care and canceled out their voice. He did not know where they were going. The carriage went down the hill and into a fortified village. They passed by a few small houses with hay roofs. According to Ralof, they were in Helgen. People were outside of their houses to watch what was going on. Alex noticed that some of the carriages were stopping. He focused on the conversations going on around him.

"Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!" demanded a strict Imperial Captain woman.

"Why are we stopping?" panicked Lokir, causing Alex to panic inside a little. He wanted to know as well.

"Why do you think?" Ralof spoke. "End of the line."

Their carriage stopped. The rider hopped off his stead. Lokir began shouting. There were others who were wearing the same uniform as Ralof. The only clothes Alex had matched with was with the dirt Nord. The four of them were unloaded. There was a woman in heavy armor next to a man with a list in his hand. He called the names of the other three: Ulfric Stormcloak, Ralof, and Lokir. All of them except Lokir waited to be executed. The dirty Nord ran away. Unfortunately, he was shot down by an arrow. Hadvar, the one with the list, looked at the Wood Elf.

"Move closer, prisoner," he ordered. He carefully examined him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Alexander. Alex for short," the Bosmer answered.

"Captain," Hadvar whispered to the woman. "What should we do? He's not on the list."

"Forget the list," loudly spoke the captain. "He goes to the block."

"Follow her, Alexander."

Alex followed the woman to the block. An old man who wore unique armor than the rest stood in the middle of the crowd, facing Ulfric Stormcloak. He began blathering to the tied up man. In the middle of his speech, a loud roar echoed. Everyone including Alex looked straight up at the sky to investigate. Everyone one shrugged it off, but Alex was still trying to find whatever made that noise. Everybody carried on with what they were doing. An impatient Stormcloak soldier eagerly walked towards the block. The captain held the man down. The executioner held on to his bloodied axe and gave it a swing. Alex stopped looking at the clouds and focused on the decapitated man. It was gruesome, but left no messes.

"Next the Wood Elf," shouted the captain.

The roar returned again. Once again, the crowd looked up. They were all confused.

"Alex, pay attention," called Hadvar.

If he ran away, they would just shoot him down. The Bosmer obeyed and walked slowly to the block. The headless body was thrown to the side. Alex was on his knees. The Imperial woman held him down. This time the roar was closer, and the source was showed itself. It was a big black dragon. Alex widen his eyes in surprise. The executioner did not notice and thought it was him just being afraid of death. Just before the executioner made the final blow, the dragon landed on top of a tower behind him. It blew away some dust and caused a small earthquake. The dragon Shouted. The sky and the clouds began to swirl. Rocks were falling from the sky. Alexander was pushed to the ground. He tried getting up, but his hands were tied. Ralof helped him up but did not untie him. The two of them went inside the keep. Ulfric closed the door behind them.

"What in Oblivion was that?" Ralof asked. "Are the legends true, Jarl Ulfric?"

"Legends don't burn down villages," responded the Jarl.

All of them needed to move. Ralof and Alex ascended the tower. The dragon punched a hole through the wall. The two of them retreated back a little bit before the dragon could burn them in its fire. It flew away seconds later. Alex looked at the burning building.

"You can do it, just jump!" shouted Ralof.

Frightened but desperate, Alex jumped, landing inside the inn perfectly fine. He got out of the burning building and met with Hadvar again. The dragon appeared again, landing on the ground. The kid and the adults hid behind an already burning house.

* * *

The rain was heavily pouring, yet Fafnir was nowhere to be found. Matilda was surrounded by three Dark Brotherhood assassins: a male Dunmer, a female Khajiit, and a female Argonian. The vampiric Dark Elf was tired of running. It seems that what Fafnir said was true, the Dark Brotherhood was going through some hard times, just like her precious Thieves Guild. Matilda was panting and fatigued, but so were they. Her magicka was almost drained out. In distress, she transformed herself into a Vampire Lord.

"This wasn't mentioned in the contract!" yelled the Dunmer.

"This isn't worth dying for. I'm leaving," said the Khajiit.

Now there were just the two fighting her. The two assassins stood still, hoping one of them would make the first move. Matilda transformed once again, but this time into a swarm of bats. Her vampiric talons shredded the back of the female Argonian. Blood splattered on to her and the other assassin. The sound of his heartbeat beating in fear made her only more thirsty. The cowardly Dark Elf scurried away from her. However, it was futile as Matilda's wing could flap faster than he could run. She sunk her teeth deep in his throat. She drank enough that would satisfy her. The elf was still breathing until she plunged her specially enchanted Daedric dagger inside him. Matilda arose one of the dead bodies.

"Hunt down the timid Khajiit," the Dunmer demanded. "You assassins are pitiful. Astrid is infirm baby. How dare she order an assassination on me!"

She was the current Arch-Mage of Winterhold and the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild. The leader of the Dark Brotherhood was Astrid. They did not know each other very well, but sometimes Astrid would visit the Ragged Flagon from time to time. Matilda also knows that Delvin Mallory was close to her. According to him, Astrid was not the one sending them to their doom, but someone else. Even Fafnir, a Dark Brotherhood member, did not know. The last assassin she interrogated said the figure was hooded. She did not believe them though. Luckily for her, the assassination attempts have decrease.

The Arch-Mage laid on the wet rode. The sky was clear now. Matilda extremely disliked the sun, but she was thankful to see it. She spied what she thought was a giant scaly bird. At first she thought it could have been a dragon, but that was ridiculous. Roars came from it. Now she was bewildered. She dismissed it as a figment of her imagination. She only knew a few things Nordic culture. She would have asked Fafnir what she saw was true but remembered he was gone.

Matilda stood back up and headed towards Riverwood. She was going to look for someone to protect her now since her last and only protection had forsaken her. She walked the lonely road until she met Alex for the first time.

The Bosmer wore Stormcloak armor but was still scrawny looking. He wore dark makeup and had no scars that were visibly seen. The black hair and mohawk reminded her of Cyr, someone Matilda secretly admired back in Cyrodiil. Alex spotted her and stopped moving.

"H-hello…" murmured the shy boy.

"Greetings," Matilda responded. "You seem… strong. How about we tag along?"

It was a lie. Matilda knew this boy could barely pick up a staff. Besides, she needed a meat bag around her.

"Okay," he spoke.

"My name's Matilda. I am the Arch-Mage of the college of Winterhold. Can you tell me about yourself?" I attempted to get information from him.

"I'm Alexander. You can call me Alex. I lost my brother and was about to be executed. Then a big black dragon came and well… I think you saw it go through this way. I need to head to Whiterun," he explained himself. That explained what Matilda saw. The Dark Elf turned around, facing the road to Whiterun. While walking, she continued to converse with her new Bosmer friend.

"You are aware this isn't Stormcloak territory, right?" she alerted him.

"Oh yes, I'm aware. To be honest, this isn't mine. I took it from a dead body," he openly admitted. Now he reminded her of Cyr mentally and physically. She thought to herself if this was a joke.

"This is just a warning, no one would ever reveal information like that to anyone," she said.

"Oh," he commented.

"Anyways, what happened to your brother?"

"We got separated in an ambush. I don't know much about it. I just want him back."

"Your brother sounds very caring."

"Of course he does! We mean everything to each other." To Matilda, their relationship seemed fishy. The way that he blushed and sounded reminded her of when she got nervous around Cyr. The person he was talking about had an incestuous relationship with Alex.

The two elves arrived at Pelagia Farm. Alex watched as three people were fighting a giant. He brought out his bow an shot an arrow. The rest took care of the guy. One of them ran towards the Wood Elf. The Nord was a pretty fair skinned woman. Her outfit seemed a bit outdated, but Alex stared and blushed at her. Matilda noticed his cheeks and face palmed herself.

"Good work," she spoke to Alex. "With a little practice with your bow, you'd make a decent Shield-Brother."

"Uh… a what?" he said.

"An outsider, eh? Never heard of the Companions? An order of warriors. We are brothers and sisters in honor. And we show up to solve problems if the coin good enough," she replied.

"Sounds cool, may I join?" he continued to question. An idea sparked in the Arch-Mage's mind. Since Bosmers were mostly thieves, she found a solution to her Dark Brotherhood problems.

"I can't say. Speak to Kodlak Whitemane to join," she answered.

The three warriors left. Matilda was relieved. She knows of the Companions secrets. Most of their members smelled of wet dogs.

"Oh, is the little soldier head over heels over a dog?" ridiculed the vampire.

"What?" Alex said.

"Never mind," she sighed. "How about joining a secretive organization? I'm not in it, but I know a way."

"Okay," he answered.

"After all of this is over, how about we head to Windhelm. There's this one kid you need to talk to, so play along."

"Okay."

Of course the Arch-Mage would have done it herself if she was not being targeted by them. That and being the Guild Master was too much on her hands.

"One more thing, don't say 'okay' a lot. Sometimes saying that will lead to regret and mistakes," Matilda corrected him.

"Okay," Alex ignored her warning.

"You're a mess," she commented. "Come on, let's get you to where you need to be before other people find out the little secret."


	3. Chapter 3: The Dragon

**A/N:** Was I supposed to capitalize Shout?

* * *

Alex and his new friend, Matilda, arrived at Whiterun. There were many stores around here. He spotted an Imperial soldier arguing with a blacksmith.

"Alex, why don't you proceed without me? I need to purchase a few things here," Matilda said to him.

"…Alright," he replied.

The Dark Elf woman went inside Warmaiden's. The Wood Elf continued heading to where he needed to go. He found himself in the middle of the Plains District. There were only two stalls set up, one selling food and the other selling trinkets. The elderly pawnbroker was being harassed by the Battle-Borns, supporters of the Empire. He went up the stairs and gazed at the dead, gnarled tree. It was not quiet here either. An old man was preaching about Talos and being loud about it. He ignored it and continue to climb up more stairs.

Alexander was inside the main hall of Dragonsreach. It was a pretty big palace. A large fire was in the middle of the room between two dining tables. While walking to the throne, a Dunmer woman approached him with her sword unsheathed. The woman was obliviously younger than Matilda and still had color in her hair. The illumination from the fire made her look even more threatening.

"The Jarl isn't seeing anyone," she said to the Bosmer. Behind her, it looked the Jarl was conversing with somebody.

"I have news from Helgen about the dragon attack," he answered.

The Dark Elf allowed him to speak to the Jarl.

"So, you were at Helgen. You saw the dragon with your own eyes?" the Jarl questioned.

"Yeah, it was a big black dragon," Alex confirmed.

"By Ysmir," he gasped, "Irileth was right!. What do you say, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

"My lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once," butted in Irileth. Proventus began to argue with her. Jarl Balgruuf was getting irritated.

"Enough!" interrupted the Jarl. Everyone quietly behaved and listened. "I will not stand by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!"

Both Irileth and Proventus then carried on with their duties. He looked directly at the young Wood Elf.

"There is something you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your talents, perhaps. Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into matters related to these dragons and rumors of dragons."

They walked into the wizard's room. The man in blue robes was looking at his desk. He heard their footsteps and looked up.

"So the Jarl thinks you could be of use to me," Farengar spoke directly to Alexander. "Yeah, I believe someone could go fetch something for me. I want you to delve into some ruins for an ancient artifact that may or may not be there."

"Alright. Where and what is it?" Alex replied.

"Eager to get it over with, I see," he said. " I learned that the stone tablet might be at Bleak Falls Barrow- a 'Dragonstone' said to contain a map of burial sites. No doubt it's in the main chambers."

Alex knew where Bleak Falls Barrow was at. Ralof pointed it out when they got out of Helgen. What a coincidence.

The Bosmer headed outside. He noticed the sky was getting dark. He checked his purse to see how much gold coins he had. He carried 54 with him. The elf went into the Plains District where Matilda waited for him by the well. He noticed that her eyes emitted a yellow-orange glow. It was something he did not notice before, possibly because it was bright out when they met.

"You're eyes are beautiful," Alex commented.

"Why… Why, thank you, Cyr," Matilda replied.

"Cyr?" he questioned.

"I said Alex. Thank you, Alex," she corrected herself. "I obtained some leather armor for you. We don't want any Thalmor or Imperial pestering us with questions."

"I still need a few more things to do. Anyways, I'm heading to bed. Want to join me?" he asked. She raised her eyebrow then had an angry look on her face.

"Oh, well that explains why you complimented my eyes. If you're that desperate to sleep with someone, sleep with your hands, pig!"

* * *

Alexander woke up the next morning in his bed nude. Unaware that Matilda was in the room, he removed the covers, exposing himself to her.

"**Whoa**! Okay, okay!" the Dunmer raised her voice. "I didn't expect you to take my advice last night… Just put the armor on and let's go."

She threw the armor at him and caught it. She walked out of the room in disgust. Alex sniffed the leather. The leather was fresh which meant this was brand-new. His hands touched the smooth surface of it. It probably will not protect him much Elven armor, but he will take what he can get. The armor was much warmer than his Stormcloak uniform. When he was done dressing up, he went outside his room where Matilda was waiting.

"Alright, so what do you need finished?" she asked Alex.

"I need to fetch a Dragonstone in Bleak Falls Barrow. Want to come?" he said.

"Of course I will!" she replied.

The two elves made their way near Riverwood, taking the path up the mountain. It snowing by the time they reached a tower. A bandit had his back against a tree. Matilda stopped Alex before he could take another step. The two of them hid behind a small boulder.

"Stop!" she whispered loud enough for him to hear. "You see that bandit there? Kill or at least assault him in this spot."

Alexander slowly arose from his hiding place. Before he could shoot an arrow, Matilda stopped him once again.

"I've used a bow before, not much, but at least I know the posture. Move your front foot slightly pointing to him," Matilda instructed. "Your elbow needs to be about as high as your jaw line."

Now the his position was fixed, he let go of the bowstring. The arrow pierced through the winds, but unfortunately missed the target. The bandit was no longer relaxed and searched whoever tried to kill him. The Dark Elf giggled. The woman summoned a bow in her hands. The bow was transparent purple-blue color. She fired an arrow, hitting the target. Alex sighed.

"Don't get all upset," she spoke. "With a little practice, you'll be better than I am. I just know how to aim better because I practice with spells."

Another bandit went outside of the tower. She found her friend's corpse and searched for whoever killed him. This time Alexander targeted her. He carefully made sure she stood still for awhile before shooting. When she did, his arrow pierced through her chest, leaving her blood to stain the snow. Nobody else ran outside. The Dunmer and him went inside the tower, searching for something useful. Alex went upstairs, finding another bandit. He quickly hid in the shadows. He waited for Matilda to come and save him. He heard her footsteps coming his way. Matilda saw him, then the bandit.

"How about a little trust exercise?" she whispered to him. "You get the bandit to come over to you, then I'll slit his throat from behind. What do you say?"

"Alright, let's do it," Alex whispered back.

Alex stepped out of the shadows. The bandit took the bait and began to charge. He shut his eyes in fear. When he opened them back up, he was dead. He noticed that she carried two scary looking Daedric daggers with her. Both were enchanted.

"Where did you get those daggers?" Alex asked.

"These? Oh, I just found them when I was adventuring," Matilda answered.

"They're both enchanted. What are their enchants?" he continued asking questions.

"I don't appreciate it when people question me, but since you trusted me… The dagger I hold on my right absorb health and paralyzes enemies. The one to my left does frost damage and traps souls," she explained. "Before you ask, no, I did not enchanted these. Someone else did. Let's go. I loathe the sun."

Alex and Matilda carried on to Bleak Falls Barrow, taking down the three bandits that guarded the entrance. They entered the slightly warm dungeon and eavesdropped on a conversation about a golden claw. Quietly eliminating the two, they then headed to another room. A bandit with a torch in his hand pulled on a lever. Poison arrows from different directions pierced through him, killing him. Matilda shook her head in shame.

"What do we do now?" Alex questioned.

"There's no way you can be that doltish," she replied.

"What?" he said.

"Close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open them," she said.

While his eyes were closed, Matilda matched the pillars according to the statues from left to right: snake, snake, and then the whale. Alex's eyes were still closed. She pulled the lever and opened the gate. He heard the rattling.

"Open," she ordered. He opened his eyes, noticing the gate was raised.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" wondered the Wood Elf.

"Gee, I don't know. Magic?" sassily replied the Dark Elf. "No, I'm pulling your leg. I just matched the pillars with the heads. Perhaps you should inspect your environment? I can't do everything for you."

The two of them pressed on, killing the skeevers. Just on their way to another room, they heard someone yelling.

"Alex, since this temple is occupied by bandits, not everyone you encounter are reliable," she warned him.

The way inside the room was blocked by cobwebs. Matilda blazed through them using a simple flames spell. They crouched down, moving slowly. They know a spider was here, big ones. The Bosmer may have accidently touched a web, causing him to get stuck. He got unstuck quickly, though. The Dunmer grabbed Alex's attention, pointing up to the ceiling where a giant spider was resting. The Wood Elf shot it down to the ground. It thumped. Squirming around trapped in a web, Arvel watched them approach him. Just when the Arch-Mage burned though the webs, he fled away from them. Matilda casted an ice storm spell, causing the bandit to slow down and die. Her friend could felt the powerful chill coming from it. Alex searched through his bags, finding a golden claw and his journal. On the back of the claw reading left to right, three carved animals were there: a bear, a moth, and an owl. Believing that there were no more enemies, he ran to wherever the halls lead.

"Wait! Alexander! Halt this instant!" Matilda shouted.

Alex ran into the burial chambers. Everything seems like they were dead. Draugrs slowly awoken from their sleep. The three undead began to attack him. Luckily his friend was here to the rescue. She threw ice spears that pierced their heads.

"**I told you to wait!**" she raised her voice. "How fucking empty-headed are you? How does your brother deal with someone who's brainless? Do you need someone to hold your hands, pea-brains?" She held him against a wall. "Answer me."

The Dunmer was not really that strong, Alex was just puny. He squirmed in his position. It was futile.

"I never left my brother's side," he admitted. "He was always there. Always with me until now."

"Ok, so you admit your brother is the problem. Good… I believe he's toxic too. Let's go. Watch your feet, by the way. Trap. This is the last time I'm giving you tips and advice. I deeply apologize. Do you forgive me?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

They battled with many draugrs to reach to the sanctum. The two reached a puzzle. There were three circle and a claw print. This is what the golden claw was for. Alex examined the claw he found once more. He matched the animals according to the palm of the claws. He unlocked the combination. The round door slid back into the floor. Alex looked at Matilda's face for approval. There was a smile on her wrinkly face, causing him to smile back. However, her smile was fake. This was just one step Alex had solved. When he stopped looking, she went back to her permanent old person frown. She just wants this to get done and over with so she can rest easily. Now the two elves were gazing at a large cave that had a beacon of light hitting a wall.

"Hm, I've seen walls like that. I'm not sure what they were for though," commented Matilda. "Perhaps I should've paid more attention to them.

The elves examined the scratches on the wall. As Alex got close to the word that was glowing blue, power surged from it to him. Matilda had her jaw on the floor. She has never seen such strange power before. An armored draugr busted out of his coffin.

"_Fus Ro Dah_!" Shouted the overlord.

The elves were pushed against the wall. The overlord went to Alex and attempt to chop him to bits. The poor Bosmer lost a few blood. He notice Matilda stood back up. He was getting sleepy. It looked like she was draining his health. The spell was glowing red. It was nothing he has ever seen. When she defeated the draugr, she looted the Dragonstone for Alex and placed it in his bag. Immediately, Matilda began healing him. A few minutes he was back on his feet with the help of her. Alex was unaware of how close he was to her.

"Proximity," the Arch-Mage spoke. The other elf stood back. "Now come on. Let's return that claw back to its rightful owner."

* * *

It was already nighttime when Alex and Matilda returned the claw back. Matilda kindly refused the reward which was a bag of coins and gave the rest to Alex. The two bought separate rooms at the Sleeping Giant Inn. Like always, Alex slept in the nude. Morning arose the next day. He got up, but his back was sore. Matilda went inside his room without knocking, shocked again at his expose state.

"You really need to sleep with clothes on…" she commented.

"My back is sore," he replied.

"Okay but first, put on some pants then get on the bed with the pillow to your chest. No, I'm not having sex with you," she said.

Only wearing his pants, Alex laid on the bed. Matilda brought out a bottle of oil and poured some into her hands. She began warmed it up by rubbing her hands. She spread it all around his hairless back. Even though the oil was warmed up, it was still cold. Alex shivered. Matilda observed this and slightly heated it a bit with a spell. She did not cast a fire spell or that would have been a disaster. He was relaxed as her hands moved up and down his back. While he was almost asleep, Matilda noticed a red bruise on his lower back.

"How long as that bruise been there?" she interrogated.

"I dunno," he answered back.

She sighed. The bruise lead all the way down to his bottom. The Arch-Mage was very curious and lowed his pants. There was a big purple bruise on his ass cheeks. Matilda may or may not have let out a gasp, but she did cover her mouth.

"This hasn't been healed? Doesn't it hurt when you sit? Never mind. I don't want to know. I'll heal it up," she said.

The bruise will still be there, but she healed up the ones that seemed to be recent.

* * *

The two returned back to Whiterun. This time Matilda went inside Dragonskeep with Alex. They went inside the wizard's room. There was a lady besides Farengar. She wore the same armor as the Wood Elf except the helmet was replaced by a hood. There were blathering on about dragons. She looked up at that them.

"Someone's here to see you," the mysterious woman interrupted the mage. "Greetings."

"Ah, greetings, Arch-Mage Matilda," Farengar greeted.

"Salutations," replied the Dunmer.

Alex removed the Dragonstone from his bags and gave it to the wizard.

"I got you the Dragonstone. Now what?" Alex replied.

"There is where your job ends and mine's began. My… associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location by means she has so far declined to share with me." He faced the woman besides him. "So your information was correct after all. And we have our friend here to thank for recovering it for us."

"You went into Bleak Falls Barrows and got that?" the lady in brown asked. "But the Arch-Mage is stand there. I bet she did most of the work."

"Don't worry, we did equal the work," Matilda replied.

"Farengar!" interrupted Irileth.

All of them turned around the see what the commotion was about.

"Farengar!" she repeated and panted. "There's been a dragon nearby." She looked at the Wood Elf. "You should come, too."

Farengar, Matilda, and Alex followed Irileth to the Jarl. Another guard was stand there, shaken a little bit.

"So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?" Jarl Balgruuf questioned the guard.

"Yes, my Jarl," he answered.

"Tell him what you told me about the dragon," Irileth spoke to him.

"We saw it coming from the south. We didn't believe it at first, but it came fast…. faster than anything I've ever seen," he explained.

"What did it do? Is it attacking the watchtower?" the Jarl asked.

"No, my Jarl. It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life… I thought I was going to die," the guard said.

"Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it," he said. "Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there. Don't fail me." The Dunmer soon left him, heading outside. He looked directly at Alex. "My apologize but there is no time to start a ceremony, my friend. Since you survived Helgen, you have more experience with dragons. I have not forgotten about the retrieval of the Dragonstone. I have allowed Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property." The Jarl handed him a hide helmet with an illusion enchant.

Matilda and Alex met up with Irileth and four guards. All of them hurried to the tower where a dragon was located. The tower was standing, but there were a few pieces of stone scattered around. There were no bodies or anybody. At first it did not seem like there were survivors until one of the guards revealed himself.

"No!" said the survivor. "Get back! It'll be back. It's here somewhere. Hroki and Tor were grabbed by it." Matilda noticed a strange flying object coming closer to the small group. The survivor saw as well. "Kynareth save us, here he comes again…"

The dragon was not the same dragon from Helgen. Its scales were not black. It was a white dragon. Those who did not have any range attack were unlucky. Alex kept shooting arrows while Matilda hurled ice spells at it. Since they were close to each other and doing the most damage, the dragon tried to attack them. The two elves retreated inside the tower. The dragon blew fire inside through the door. The two were sweating. Fortunately the dragon was too fatigued to fly due to the blood lost. Alex began fighting it at close range. Matilda stopped casting her spell in fear of accidentally killing him. He got on top of the dragon's head. It tried shaking him off. He was holding on to its rough scales. He got out a dagger and began stabbing it rapidly. Blood stained its scales. He got off the dragon but its flesh was peeling off. Something was being absorbed into Alexander. The dragon then turned into a skeleton.

"I…" Matilda tried to speak. "What just happened?"

"Y-you're Dragonborn…" declared a guard. The two Dunmer women tried to held their laughter but could not.

"Nonsense," they both said.

"Well he absorbed the dragons power, right?" he said.

"I think I did," Alex answered.

"There's only one way to find out," he said. "Try to Shout."

"_Fus_!" the Bosmer Shouted. The Shout caused others to be pushed a bit. It also removed Matilda's hood, showing off her long, white hair. She immediately put it back on. The guards began to converse about Alex's powers and about Tiber Septim. Irileth did not seem impressed. Matilda was blown away.

"Come on. Let's go," the Arch-Mage said. They were far away from the rest. "If you're the Dragonborn, then could your brother do the same thing?"

"I don't know," Alex answered.

The two were about to return to Whiterun until the earth around them started to shake. It was caused by a loud Shout. Matilda fell to the ground. Alex kindly helped her back up. When she was back on her feet, she looked at him.

"I suspect that was for you. I sincerely have no sense of what is going on here," she said to him.


End file.
